I've Heard it Both Ways
by AdventuresintheRain
Summary: The princess of Auradon wants a story before bed, but not just any story. She wants the one about her parents. Bal fic, a one-shot based on an idea I had a few days ago.


For the heir to the throne of Auradon, Lux was a wild little girl who would rather be playing in the mud than daydreaming about her prince. So when she asked her parents to tell their love story, Mal was more than a little surprised. She was even more shocked to hear Ben call it a fairytale story. Mal got her daughter ready for bed and then left her husband and child to recount her happy ending, but she lingered outside the door, listening to the story.

"Once upon a time, I was a prince who was about to become king. In a moment of genius, if I do say so myself, I decided that the children on the Isle of the Lost should be given a chance to live in Auradon. Your mother, as you know, is Maleficent's daughter, and she was one of the kids to first come."

Mal scoffed from outside the door. It's not like she came willingly. She had been the worst of the worst, and Ben had decided that she was one of the ones with the most room for improvement. Go figure he should make sound like chance.

"I had a girlfriend at the time, Princess Audrey, and Mal had a crush on me. However, she didn't believe that I could ever like a girl like her, so with her magic she made a love spell and put it in chocolate chip cookies. I ate them, and became infatuated with her due to the magic."

Mal frowned. She had executed the perfect plan to get Ben to eat those cookies, and she certainly hadn't had a crush on him to begin with. This story was a pathetic substitute for the real thing.

"On our first date, I went swimming in the Enchanted Lake, and the spell was washed away. Your mother thought I was in danger and almost died trying to save me, and I ended up saving her instead,"

Mal couldn't take it any more, and burst through the door, startling Lux and Ben. "Lux, don't believe a word of this. Our story is way different,"

Ben looked at his wife with a grin. "At least let me finish my version." Mal sighed and nodded once, hoping he wouldn't get many more details wrong. "I liked Mal, and thought it was cute that she had spelled me; I went to my coronation with her, and she looked beautiful. She tried to give me the antidote to the love potion, but the Lake had already washed it away, and when I told her I knew she blushed and was flustered and embarrassed and adorable,"

Mal could almost feel steam coming out of her ears, but she let him finish his story. "During my coronation, Jane – she owns the magic shop in town – grabbed her mother's wand and began waving it around, wanting to make herself prettier. And your mother was brave enough to grab the wand and stop her. Jay, Evie and Carlos, your aunt and uncles, ran to help her, and so did I, but Maleficent appeared. She tried to take the wand from Mal, but your mother saved the entire kingdom and defeated her mother. And then we lived happily ever after. The end,"

"Unbelievable." Mal looked at her daughter and began correcting the story. "First of all, I spelled your father in order to be closer to the wand at the coronation. My mom wanted me to steal it and have the villains rule the land. And I manipulated your father perfectly to get him to eat that cookie. Which, I might add, was double chocolate chip." Ben chuckled, but let her continue. "At the lake I didn't know how to swim, but I'll be damned if a little water's going to kill me."

Ben opened his mouth but Mal held up a finger. "Nope. I get to finish," She addressed Lux again. "I was not flustered at the coronation, I was just trying to come up with an excuse for giving you the potion," She raised her head a bit. "I did, in fact, look beautiful. And when I got the wand, Jay, Evie and Carlos came to help but Maleficent froze everyone and so we had to defeat her together. And your father," She motioned to Ben. "Was frozen just like everyone else, and looked ridiculous when he tried to rush in and save us after we had already taken care of everything."

Ben was outright laughing at her when she finally finished her additions to the story. "I don't know, Mal, I like my version better." Lux was giggling with him, the little traitor.

Mal snorted. "Who cares? My version includes all the facts and is therefore more truthful," she looked pointedly at Ben, who was still chuckling. "Isn't the truth very important here in Auradon?"

The king of Auradon cleared his throat. "Yes, but…" He looked at his daughter with a grin. "I've heard it both ways,"

He leaned down to kiss Lux's forehead, and whispered a goodnight before running out the door, with Mal hot on his heels. He was really going to get it this time.


End file.
